SITMEX-20

The second edition of the India, Thailand, and Singapore trilateral maritime exercise, SITMEX-20, hosted by the Singapore Navy, concluded in the Andaman Sea on November 22, 2020. It was a ‘non-contact, at sea only’ exercise in view of Covid-19 pandemic. The first edition of this exercise was held off Port Blair in September 2019, and was hosted by the Indian Navy. The exercise highlights growing synergy, coordination, and cooperation among the three friendly navies as well as maritime neighbours. Besides strengthening mutual confidence, the exercise will develop common understanding and procedures in enhancing the overall regional maritime security.

The Indian Navy deployed indigenous anti-submarine warfare (ASW) corvette INS Kamorta and missile corvette INS Karmuk for the exercise. Singapore deployed a ‘formidable’ class frigate RSS Intrepid and ‘Endurance’ class landing ship tank RSS Endeavour, whereas the Royal Thai Navy deployed a ‘Chao Phraya’ class frigate Kraburi.

SIMBEX-20

The 27th edition of SIMBEX-20 (a bilateral maritime exercise between India and Singapore, the first of which was in 1994) was also held in the same area from November 23 to 25, 2020. It focused on enhancing mutual interoperability and learning the best practices from each other, on the heels of the Malabar exercise. In SIMBEX-20, India deployed destroyer INS Rana with its integral Chetak helicopter, INS Kamorta, and INS Karmuk besides submarine INS Sindhuraj and P81 maritime reconnaissance aircraft.

Malabar Exercise

The Malabar exercise started in 1992 as a bilateral drill between the Indian Navy and the US Navy in the Indian Ocean. Japan joined in 2015.

The 24th edition of the Malabar exercise, involved the Indian Navy (IN), US Navy (USN), the Japan Maritime Self-Defence Force (JMSDF) and the Royal Australian Navy (RAN), was held in the India Ocean Region (IOR), in two phases—from November 3 to 6, in the Bay of Bengal and from November 17 to 20 in the Arabian Sea. The exercise is held annually. For the first time, Australia participated in this exercise on India’s invitation, making it a quadrilateral security effort. These exercises witness an enlarging scope and many strategic complexities. The presence of Australia in this exercise must have been a cause of concern to China, which had previously expressed serious objections to the former’s participation with Singapore in such exercises in 2007, leading to Australia not participating in subsequent editions. India is involved in a military stand-off with China on the border issue. Thus, the Malabar exercise would prove to be an expresion of deterrence to China’s aggressive policy of expansion.


INS Kamorta, commissioned on August 23, 2014, is first of the four ASW stealth corvettes, designed by the Directorate of Naval Design (DND), the Navy’s in-house organisation under Project 28, with an indigenous component of about 90 per cent. It measures 110 m in length, 14 m in breadth and displaces 3,500 tons with a speed of 25 knots. Fitted with anti-submarine rockets and torpedoes, medium and close-in weapon systems, and indigenous surveillance radar Revathi, it is also capable of carrying an integral ASW helicopter. It has a multitude of systems like total atmospheric control, integrated platform management, integrated bridge, battle damage control, and personnel locator system, which provide a contemporary and process-oriented system for its optimal functioning. It is well equipped to fight in nuclear, biological, and chemical warfare conditions.

INS Karmuk, commissioned on February 4, 2004, is a guided missile corvette of the Kora class re-based from the Eastern Naval Command to the Andaman and Nicobar Command. It is equipped with state-of-the-art navigation, communication, and radar systems and boasts of contemporary surface-to-surface missiles, a main gun, and secondary armament. It can carry a helicopter: INS Karmuk, is capable of operating well beyond the traditional maritime boundaries of the Andaman and Nicobar Command. Besides ocean surveillance and surface warfare operations to prevent infiltration and protect maritime sovereignty, it also monitors the busy sea lanes of communication passing through the Andaman and Nicobar Islands and other vital assets.

It has not only significantly enhanced the off-shore surveillance and maritime patrolling around the Andaman and Nicobar Islands but its long-range surface-to-surface missiles have tremendously enhanced the defence of Andaman and Nicobar islands.

INS Sindhuraj, commissioned in October 1987, is of Sindhughosh-class and a diesel-electric submarine built by Russia. It is one of the currently nine active Kilo-class (Project 08773) submarines in service.

P-8I is a long-range, multi-mission maritime patrol aircraft, made by Boeing for the Indian Navy. A variant of the P-8A Poseidon, it is operated by the US Navy. The aircraft was designed to protect the vast coastline and territorial waters of India besides conducting anti-submarine warfare, anti-surface warfare (AsuW), intelligence, maritime patrol, and surveillance and reconnaissance missions.


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